5"/40 caliber gun
, gundeck, with 5-inch/40 caliber gun |origin= |type=Naval gun |is_ranged=YES |is_bladed= |is_explosive= |is_artillery=YES |is_vehicle= |service=1895– |used_by=United States Navy |wars=Spanish–American War |designer=Bureau of Ordnance |design_date=1895 |manufacturer=U.S. Naval Gun Factory |production_date= |number=* Mark 2: 68 (Nos. 3–70) * Mark 3: 119 (Nos. 87–199, 287–292) * Mark 4: 16 (Nos. 71–86) |variants=Mark 2 Mods 0–8, Mark 3 Mods 0–3, Mark 4 Mods 0–4 |weight=* Mark 2: (without breech) * Mark 2: (with breech) * Marks 3 and 4: (without breech) * Marks 3 and 4: (with breech) |length=* Mark 2: * Marks 3 and 4: |part_length= bore (40 calibers) |width= |height= |crew= |cartridge= |caliber= |action= |rate= 12 rounds per minute |velocity= |range= at 15° elevation |max_range= at 30° elevation |feed= |sights= |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation= |traverse=* 137° arc (Brooklyn casemates) * −150° to +150° (open mounts) }} The 5"/40 caliber gun (spoken "five-inch-forty-caliber") were used in the secondary batteries of the United States Navy's early battleships, armored cruisers, protected cruisers, unprotected cruisers, and auxilliary cruisers. Design The Mark 2, Nos. 3 – 70, was a 40 caliber naval gun that fired semi-fixed ammunition. The Mark 2 consisted of tube, jacket, and 2 hoops, being hooped to from the muzzle. The Mod 1 had different exterior dimensions for the hoops and chase and was primarily intented to be used with the Mark 2 Mods 1 and 4 mounts. Mod 2 had a cylindrical jacket that was in diameter for to the rear of the mounting threads. It was intended for the Mark 2 Mods 1 and 4 and Mark 3 Mods 1 and 6 mounts. Mod 3 was the same as the Mod 2 but without the cylindrical section. It was designed to use the Mark 2 Mods 1, 2, 4, and 5 and the Mark 3 Mods 1, 4, 6, and 9 mounts. The Mod 4 only differed from the Mark 3 in that it had a muzzle bell. Mod 5, gun No. 39, was an experimental gun that hd cut off of the muzzle, making it a 35-caliber gun. It also had a locking hoop that extended the whole lengh of the chase hoop to help balance the gun. The Mod 6 was a Mod 4 gun that had been modified for use in the 5-inch Mark 8 Mods 4, 13, and 14 mounts. The breeech was turned down a to for from the face of the breech with the front part of the thread for the sleeve cut away. The Mod 7 gun was a Mod 2, 3, or 4 that had a conical nickel-steel liner and a Mod 8 was a Mod 6 gun also with a conical nickel-steel liner. The first gun that was delivered in October 1890 was gun No. 5. The Mark 2 was intended for use on battleships and cruisers, such as , protected cruisers, unprotected cruisers, and auxilliary cruisers such as . The Mark 3, gun Nos. 87–199, 287–292, were first delivered in January 1897. The Mark 3 was also a semi-fixed ammunition gun that was designed for use on cruisers and battleships. The Mark three was constructed of a tube, jacket and two hoops, all of gun steel with a side-swing carrier type breech. Mod 1 used a different jacket with a locking hoop forward of the slide cylinder. Mod 2 was a Mod 0 or Mod 1 gun relined using a conical nickel-steel liner. Gun No. 104 was converted into and experimental Mod 3 gun from a Mod 0, being cut down to 25-caliber or , for use as an anti-aircraft gun. The muzzle end was cut off and a conical nickel-steel liner installed, this gave it the same characteristics as a 5"/25 caliber Mark 10 anti-aircraft gun. The gun later ruptured during testing. The muzzle of gun No. 174, mounted on the battleship , also had its muzzle blow off. The Mark 4, guns No. 71–86, delivered in April 1896, were derived from the Mark 2 but longer and consequent differences in slide surface and other externals. Mod 1 added a nickel-steel tube and hoops that the Mod 0 didn't have and the Mod 3 was the Mod 1 relined with a nickel-steel liner. With the Mod 4 an attempt was made to thread the gun to fit the Mark 2 Mod 4 mount but wasn't used. This gun was designed to arm small cruisers and many were used to arm auxiliaries during WW I. Naval Service } |Mark 3: 4 × 5"/40 caliber (Nos. 161–164) |Unknown |} Marks 2–4 were used on many auxiliaries during World War I. References External links * Bluejackets Manual, 1917, 4th revision: US Navy 14-inch Mark 1 gun Category:Naval guns of the United States Category:127 mm artillery